Despite a fairly lopsided result, Game 7 between the Blackhawks and Ducks scored NBC’s top playoff overnight outside of the Stanley Cup Final.
Game 7 of the Blackhawks/Ducks NHL Western Conference final earned a 3.3 overnight rating on NBC Saturday night, up a tick from Kings/Blackhawks on NBCSN last year, which aired on a Sunday night (3.2). The 3.3 overnight is the highest for any NHL telecast — excluding the Stanley Cup Final — since the current television deal began in the 2005-06 season.
The previous high was last year’s 3.2 for Kings/Blackhawks Game 7. This is the third straight year that the clinching game of the West final has set or tied the top mark over that span.
The 3.3 is also the highest for any NHL playoff game outside of the Stanley Cup Final since at least 1996.
Locally, the Blackhawks’ win earned a 26.6 rating in Chicago — the market’s third-highest for any NHL game on the NBC family of networks, and its highest outside of the Stanley Cup Final. The game drew a 3.9 in Los Angeles, the market’s second-highest for a Ducks game on the NBC networks.
(Sat. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
